French President denies specific drone threat but warns: "It is war"
A reported threat of Russian drone strikes targeting southern France has been formally denied by President Emmanuel Macron. Speaking during a joint television interview on TF1 and France 2 on 24 September 2026, the French head of state stated that the specific report could be refuted, noting that the Italian Defence Minister had issued a similar denial.
The alarm originated from a report in the Spanish newspaper El Mundo, which cited a CIA dossier warning of potential drone operations launched from the Mediterranean against targets in Spain, France, or Italy. Macron clarified that the CIA had not informed French intelligence services of any such imminent attack.
A broader and growing danger
Despite rejecting that specific claim, Macron used the broadcast to issue a stark assessment of the security landscape across the continent. Russia has multiplied hostile and sometimes criminal acts against European nations, he stated.
The President referenced the drone incident at Leipzig/Halle Airport in Germany last summer—where a drone laden with explosives was discovered and attributed to Russia—as evidence that similar attempts could theoretically occur on French soil. That event, alongside recent attacks and sabotage elsewhere in Europe, led Macron to define the current situation bluntly: "It is more than hybrid war, it is war, period."
A strategic shift in Moscow's thinking
Macron explained that Moscow now views Europe as the "strategic depth" of Ukraine, essentially treating the continent as an extension of the battlefield because of its support for Kyiv. "Since Europeans are helping Ukrainians, Europe can be a target," he said.
The European Commission has acknowledged this shift. A spokesperson, Thomas Regnier, confirmed that EU airspace has been tested and violated multiple times and that multiple hybrid attacks are underway against member states. France has responded by tasking its government with developing a national plan to protect critical infrastructure—such as power plants, railways and defence industry sites—from drone and cyber threats.
Italy's exposure to the new threat landscape
For residents of Italy, the President's warning comes amid a summer of heightened security concerns. In August 2026, an explosion at a munitions factory in Colleferro was investigated for potential links to Russian sabotage, though the government has downplayed the incident. The country also experienced a wave of ransomware attacks targeting the manufacturing sector, with the National Cybersecurity Agency (ACN) recording a 14% rise in incidents in June alone.
Italian Defence Minister Guido Crosetto echoed the French denial regarding the Mediterranean drone threat, stating that the alarm found no confirmation. However, the broader context remains tense: Danish military intelligence has assessed a "low but growing" risk of limited Russian military action against NATO border states, while the NATO Deputy Commander in Europe, Air Chief Marshal Sir John Stringer, has warned that President Vladimir Putin is becoming "bolder, more dangerous and prone to risk."
